YIMBY

YIMBY stands for “Yes, in my Backyard.” A slogan of the urbanist movement and an implicit rejection of “NIMBYism,” YIMBY’s believe in solving problems by opening up their own neighborhoods and communities to new development. With this work I investigate the hidden environmental costs of the centripetal force that is urbanism.

YIMBY moves outward, following aqueducts and power lines into the hinterland. The work consists of three videos, two proposed sculptures and an interactive map.

The project was produced for UCLA DMA’s 2020 MFA Exhibition, NEARREST NEIGHBOR and can be found online at near.rest/ben-lerchin.

The work continues at a vacant lot in the Antelope Valley, which I purchased in June 2020. The site is adjacent to a power line, a wind farm, and four mining operations. In the near future I will be installing kinetic sculptures and environmental monitoring systems. The public is invited to join me in these interventions.